DISCLAIMER: This is NOT a certified or verbatim transcript, but rather represents only the context of the class or meeting, subject to the inherent limitations of realtime captioning. The primary focus of realtime captioning is general communication access and as such this document is not suitable, acceptable, nor is it intended for use in any type of legal proceeding. ICRC 02/18/21 Meeting Captioned by Q&A Reporting, Inc., www.qacaptions.com >> Steve: Good morning, everybody. As Chair of the Commission, I call this meeting to order of the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission. This Zoom Commission meeting is being live streamed to YouTube. For anyone in the public watching who would prefer to watch via a different platform, than they are currently using, please visit our social media at redistricting MI to find the link for viewing on other platforms. A live stream today includes closed captioning. We have ASL interpretation available for this meeting. If you would like easier viewing options for the ASL interpretation on your screen, please e-mail us at [email protected] and we will provide you with additional viewing options. Similarly if you would like access to translation services during the meeting please e-mail us at [email protected] on details how to utilize language translation services available for this meeting. Translation services are available for both Spanish and Arabic. Please e-mail us and we will provide you with a unique link and call-in information. This meeting is being recorded and will be available at redistricting MI.org for viewing at a later date. This meeting is also being transcribed and those transcriptions will be made available and posted on redistricting Michigan.org along with written public comment submissions. Members of the media who may have questions before, during or after the meeting should direct those questions to communications and outreach director Edward Woods III at Woods E3 at Michigan.gov. For purposes of the public record and for members of the public watching, I will now ask the Department of State staff to take note of the members of the Commission present. Sally. >> Sally: Good morning everyone Commissioners when I call your name if you could please unmute yourself and say present and the city or county you are attending remotely from that would be great. Doug Clark. >> Present, I'm attending remotely from Rochester Hills, Michigan. >> Sally: Juanita Curry. Q&A REPORTING, INC. [email protected] Page 1 DISCLAIMER: This is NOT a certified or verbatim transcript, but rather represents only the context of the class or meeting, subject to the inherent limitations of realtime captioning. The primary focus of realtime captioning is general communication access and as such this document is not suitable, acceptable, nor is it intended for use in any type of legal proceeding. >> Present and I'm attending remotely from Detroit, Michigan. >> Sally: Anthony Eid. >> Present attending remotely from Detroit, Michigan. >> Sally: Brittini Kellom. >> Rhonda Lange. >> Present, attending remotely from Reed City. >> Sally: Steve Lett. >> Present and I'm attending from Lee County, Florida. >> Sally: Cynthia Orton. >> Present, attending remotely from Battle Creek, Michigan. >> Sally: MC Rothhorn. >> Present, attending remotely from Lansing, Michigan. >> Sally: Rebecca Szetela. >> Present, attending remotely from Wayne County, Michigan. >> Sally: Janice Vallette. >> Present, attending remotely from Highland, Michigan. >> Sally: Erin Wagner. >> Present, attending remotely from Charlotte, Michigan. >> Richard Weiss. >> Present and attending remotely from Saginaw, Michigan. >> Sally: Dustin Witjes. >> Present; and I'm attending remotely from Ann Arbor, Michigan. >> Sally: There is a quorum present. >> Steve: Thank you we have 12 of the 13 Commissioners present and as Sally indicated that is a quorum. At this time we would have public comment but I am informed that there are that no one has signed up for public comment but for those of you who may not have joined us previously, I have a few comments on how we conduct our public comment portion of these virtual meetings. Because this is a virtual meeting members of the public have to sign in advance in order to address the Commission. If you do sign up you will have two minutes to speak to us. Public comment sign up links are posted on redistricting Michigan social media pages on Facebook and Twitter at redistricting MI. And you can e-mail our office at [email protected]. If you would like to submit your thoughts or comments to the Commission you can do that at a redistricting.gov and they will be provided to the Commission. We will now move on to the agenda that everybody should have received. Are there any additions that we would like to add to the agenda at this time? Sue. Q&A REPORTING, INC. [email protected] Page 2 DISCLAIMER: This is NOT a certified or verbatim transcript, but rather represents only the context of the class or meeting, subject to the inherent limitations of realtime captioning. The primary focus of realtime captioning is general communication access and as such this document is not suitable, acceptable, nor is it intended for use in any type of legal proceeding. >> Sue: I don't have additions but I would like to -- I do want to mention that most recent update to the agenda that was sent last night added a third person to the California Commission panel and then we also want to remove in 13C the good marketing proposal. >> Steve: So 13C will not be addressed today. >> Sue: Parts of C will be however the good marketing proposal we want removed. >> Steve: All right. Anybody else have anything to add or delete or change? Okay I would entertain a motion to approve the agenda as amended. >> Anthony: So motioned. >> Second. >> Steve: Anthony and I saw Erin raise her hand as a second all in favor raise your hand. [ Hands raised ] It is approved. Okay, next is review of the previous minutes from February 11, 2021. Are there any first off are there any corrections? Okay the only thing I saw reading through them was on the 5th page under number four. A couple of typos revised communications needs a Y make it policy and right below that procurement review needs to spell out policy. Other than that, if we have no corrections, I would entertain a motion to adopt the minutes as presented MC motion, Doug second. All in favor raise your hand. [ Hands raised ] They are approved. Any correspondence Sue that we need to discuss today? >> Sue: There is no correspondence today. >> Steve: So the public knows we did receive one correspondence that I will make some comment on. So that people know that we really do read them. And this one had to do with the communities of interest. And this individual's thoughts on how to do mapping. We are clearly under the constitutional amendment as to the things that we have to consider, and as such we will, in fact, consider those when we are doing our mapping as well as the voting rights act. Executive director report, Sue. >> Sue: Good morning again Commissioners. Q&A REPORTING, INC. [email protected] Page 3 DISCLAIMER: This is NOT a certified or verbatim transcript, but rather represents only the context of the class or meeting, subject to the inherent limitations of realtime captioning. The primary focus of realtime captioning is general communication access and as such this document is not suitable, acceptable, nor is it intended for use in any type of legal proceeding. And thank you for your continuing work to for fair nonpartisan redistricting provided for your discussion today are three resolutions one is for adopting the FOIA guidelines and procedures which is Freedom of Information Act. Adopting a communication plan and also adopting the procurement review procedures and guidelines. We are moving along with our process for selecting consultants. The internal staff committee met yesterday and I will get the Rankings and rationale report and those proposals to the mapping committee by tomorrow. So you will have plenty of time to review them for your meeting, which is next Tuesday afternoon from 1-3 on February 23rd. The plan is for the committee to bring their recommendations for bidder presentations back to this group next Thursday and then have those presentations the following Thursday which would be March 4th. Yesterday afternoon was the deadline to receive bids for VRA legal counsel however we didn't receive any bids so our internal staff committee is meeting this afternoon and we are going to look at ways to move forward with seeking VRA counsel, so we will get back with the Commission next week on some options for ways to seek consultants to fill this gap that we have. Also I've provided today the Princeton budget memo. It gives you a sense of what they felt might be the costs for this Commission. As we get our mapping proposal and other consultant proposals in, we can build out our budget more effectively knowing those numbers. So those are just for your review. We won't have any discussion today on that. And lastly our ice breaker for today is what three words best describe you? And do I have a volunteer to start today? Or Commissioner Dustin can you start us? >> Dustin: Sure. So three words that describe me would be, I'm thinking, outgoing. Outgoing. Loyal. And patient. >> Sue: All good qualities. Thank you, Richard, how about you? >> Richard: That's a tough one. I guess it's all on who you talk to. If you are asking somebody else. I guess I'm not really sure.